title: Hearing loss as occupational hazard.
abstract: Is the technology any better today than it has been? Without question, there have been improvements in the past five years that enable hearing aids to better fit noise-induced hearing losses. The bottom line, however, is that hearing aids are still a prosthesis, not a solution to the problem of hearing loss. The final decision of whether to purchase a hearing aid or not is dependent upon many factors that should be discussed with your health care professional. Hearing aids have improved a lot in recent years, but their function still boils down to two important tasks: selectively amplifying sounds not heard by the individual, and preventing loud sounds from reaching uncomfortable levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fabry
mesh_terms: D003748:Dental Equipment / Q000009:adverse effects; D003815:Dentists; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy